The DOT's bright idea: Agency recommends drivers divert from the George Washington Bridge to the Staten Island Expressway

Staten Island Advance file photoThe state Department of Transportation thinks, that because of major reconstruction of the Alexander Hamilton Bridge that has caused tie-ups on the George Washington Bridge , the Staten Island Expressway could be a better route into the city for some drivers.

So let’s see if we have this straight: The state Department of Transportation says that because a major bridge reconstruction project is causing traffic backups on the George Washington Bridge, motorists should consider using the Staten Island Expressway, where another major reconstruction project is ongoing, as a portal into the city?

Amazing.

The state DOT has undertaken a massive reconstruction project on the Alexander Hamilton Bridge over the Harlem River. That began on Monday.

And since that bridge is a primary conduit from the George Washington Bridge, officials anticipated even worse traffic jams on the George Washington - worse than the notorious tie-ups so familiar to many drivers who use that landmark bridge.

So the state DOT has been advising drivers to use alternate routes particularly during rush hour.

Among the suggested alternatives: Drive through Staten Island, where the DOT has been working on another massive overhaul of the Staten Island Expressway, causing significant tie-ups even without added traffic.

What are they thinking?

Sure, the George Washington Bridge is used mostly by drivers coming from northern New Jersey and points north, so those drivers are most likely to use nearby routes into Manhattan, such as the Lincoln Tunnel and the Holland Tunnel. Driving through Staten Island would be the long way around for them.

But for drivers coming toward the city from the south, “It may work better for them to take the Outerbridge [Crossing] or the Goethals [Bridge],” state DOT spokesman Adam Levine said.

He said that while there are rush-hour tie-ups on the expressway, the route through Staten Island may be preferable for drivers coming into the city from New Jersey during off-peak hours, as many truckers do.

He quickly added, “We’re not looking to send thousands and thousands of people across the Staten Island Expressway.”

He’s probably right in saying that not very many drivers who would normally use the George Washington Bridge will divert through Staten Island.

Drivers coming from the south and west will find their own way into the city, regardless of what the state says. And if the Staten Island Expressway proves to be too congested, they’ll look for another route.

But even if the impact on traffic on the Staten Island is negligible, this recommendation from the state DOT reflects a certain bias.

After all, the DOT would never recommend that drivers use the George Washington Bridge to reduce traffic congestion on the Staten Island Expressway, would it?

Clearly, the agency’s top priority is to keep traffic problems away from the George Washington Bridge-Alexander Hamilton Bridge complex.

If that means sending more traffic south to Staten Island, so be it -- at least in the DOT's view.